ELI, II

(Eʹli) [my God].

As Jesus was dying on the torture stake, about the ninth hour, or about 3 p.m., he called out: “Eʹli, Eʹli, laʹma sabachthaʹni?” (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34) Bystanders thought that he was calling for Elijah. Perhaps they misunderstood Jesus’ words because his speech was indistinct due to his intense suffering, and/or because his dialect differed from theirs. In calling out to his heavenly Father, acknowledging him as his God, Jesus fulfilled Psalm 22:1.